Right now he knew Ari’s crazy family had served as the catalyst for facing the thoughts he’d buried for so long. He’d never had a family, and never thought he’d want to. But watching Sam settle in so easily, and seeing how even he could enjoy the normal type of things he’d missed out on growing up, showed him that maybe he was ready to give it a try.
Quinn missed having a life. But he also wondered what kind of life awaited him if he gave up undercover work. And what kind of role the woman he loved would play in that life, when odds were she wouldn’t be around to reap the benefits of his decision.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Quinn stood alone in Damon’s office with a bank of screens in front of him. It was almost over. He’d turned over a week’s worth of tapes from the counting room, and government men were working around the clock to find the discrepancies that would lead to Damon’s arrest and a warrant to search further. His head buzzed with the anticipation of a job almost completed. So much so that when his cell phone rang, he almost didn’t hear it.
He picked up just in time. “Donovan.”
“Quinn, I can’t find Sam, and Dee said Spank’s gone, too,” Elena said, in an obvious panic.
His stomach churned. “You’re kidding?” he asked, but he knew she wasn’t. “Okay, sit tight. I’ll find her.” He hung up and groaned, then called down to the bar and asked Connor to send Ari to see him.
Five minutes later, she burst into the room. “What’s wrong?” she asked, out of breath, concern on her beautiful face.
“Sam and Spank have gone AWOL.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Missing?”
He nodded. “And it’s not like I can put out an APB on a blonde teenager and her sidekick monkey. Hell, it’s not even like I can leave here.”
She walked over and pulled him into an embrace. “I’ll handle it,” she promised him.
He inhaled deep, the scent of her fragrant hair and her bodily warmth reassuring him. “I know you will.”
“Does she know where you live?” Ari asked.
“Yeah, so that’s one place you can check. The rec center’s another.” Beyond that, he didn’t want to think of the places a young girl could get lost. The only saving grace in this situation was that a teenager traveling with a monkey as a companion couldn’t get far without being noticed.
“I’ll call you as soon as I know something,” Ari promised, and started to dig through her bag, which she’d placed on a countertop. “Yep. I have my cell.” As she turned, the bag fell to the floor, contents spilling all over. “Darn it.”
She knelt and he helped her pile everything back inside. “It’s because you’re nervous. Try to remain calm while you’re looking, okay?” he said as they rose to their feet.
Her gaze met his and quickly, almost as if she didn’t want to give herself time to think, she leaned close and covered his lips with hers. Knowing he had mere seconds, he laced his arms around her waist, deepened the kiss, and pulled her close. He intended to take advantage of what she’d offered.
Tipping her head backwards, she let her tongue slip effortlessly into his mouth and tangle with his. Her body went slack, molding against him, and as her ni**les puckered beneath her T-shirt, his body tensed with desire and longing.
She must have felt it, because her legs parted, letting the hard ridge of his erection slip between. Clothing provided a frustrating barrier, but one that allowed him needed time to think.
“Sam,” he muttered, pulling back.
She nodded, wiping the back of her hand over her damp lips. “I have to go.” Regret tinged her voice and she didn’t jump to fix her rumpled shirt or reapply her lipstick to her well-kissed mouth.
“Don’t forget to keep your cell on,” he said.
“I’ll call.” Seconds later, she was gone.
• • •
Prior to Sam’s disappearing act, Ari had spent a long night on her feet. She’d been filled with anxiety, knowing Quinn was getting ready to wrap up his case and end his association with Damon—she didn’t know the details of how things would go down. Worry for his safety consumed her, and though she’d promised herself she’d let him do his job, she couldn’t help peeking around corners, hoping for a glimpse of his handsome face. She needed Quinn’s smile or a quick nod of his head to reassure her everything would be okay.
Once Quinn had called her into his office, she’d been so relieved to see him, she’d dropped the reserve she’d been building between them. She had counted on that reserve to enable her to return to her uncomplicated life in Vermont.
Between her earlier concern over Quinn and the new worry about Sam, she couldn’t help but seek reassurance and comfort in Quinn’s arms. Or so she wanted to believe.
Finally the rec center came into sight, changing her focus. She’d chosen to check here first since it was open and there would be people around. She’d locked up Quinn’s house earlier, so the likelihood of finding Samantha there wasn’t as great.
Full of hope, Ari pulled into the parking lot, but ten minutes later she walked out frustrated and no closer to finding the teen. She’d questioned Al Wolf along with most of the kids. They’d all spread out to help her look, though none had seen or heard from Sam at all that day.
Instead of calling Quinn with no news, she decided to wait until she’d checked his house. Once she made the twenty-minute drive, she stepped out of the car once more, this time struck by the drop in temperature. In her hurry to find Sam, she’d left her jacket at the casino, and in her short sleeves, she had no protection against the cold. If Sam had come here, Ari hoped she’d been smart enough to bring a jacket of some kind.
She checked both the front and garage entrances to the house, but both remained locked and alarmed. Next she headed out back, where Dozer had a doghouse and a lead. Quinn had instructed her to leave the dog outside as long as the temperatures weren’t too cold.
The spotlights shone out back but it was still dark and hard to see anything besides shaded figures of trees. But sure enough, as soon as she rounded the back, she heard the dog’s distinctive bark.
She’d quickly learned that he answered to simple commands. “Dozer,” she called. “Come.”
The dog came toward her—at least she thought it was the dog, but with the dim lighting, she was uncertain. Especially since he seemed to have something large on his back. Ari blinked. She thought she knew what that something was, but the idea was so absurd she had to come closer to be certain.